Spider-Man felt as if his bones were about to fall apart, and golden stars danced before his eyes.
Caught in a pincer attack, he could only watch helplessly as the energy whip, tearing through the air, aimed directly for his face.
It's over.
This was his last thought.
Boom—!!!
A loud bang, not from in front of him, but from the ruins of the botanical garden greenhouse.
A crimson-gold stream of light shot straight into the sky, defying all logic.
The stream of light stopped abruptly in mid-air, hovering beneath the night sky like a Sun that would never fall.
It was Iron Man!
The gaping hole in his chest, torn open by Whiplash, remained gruesome, and the damaged edges of his armor still flickered with tiny electric sparks.
But beneath this hole, the circular Arc Reactor glowed with an unprecedented, brilliant blue light.
Steady, bright.
"Hey, you two!"
Tony Stark's voice boomed through the loudspeaker, devoid of its previous fatigue and disarray, replaced by a full, infuriating arrogance.
"I just went to touch up my makeup. Looks like your party… can't do without me!"
Whiplash's seemingly assured strike froze in mid-air.
He looked up at the man who should have been lying in a pool of blood, his bloodshot eyes showing confusion and disbelief for the first time.
Green Goblin in the air also stopped his bombing, his voice for the first time carrying genuine gravity: "Impossible! I saw it with my own eyes…"
"What you saw was the free trial version."
Tony casually interrupted him, his metal faceplate slowly turning to the almost terrified Spider-Man below, "Now, it's time for the paid content."
He paused, then said in an elder-like tone, "Hey, pajama boy, need an adult to help you with your homework?"
"Mr. Stark?!"
Spider-Man's voice was a mix of surprise and joy; the immense elation of surviving such a close call instantly revived him.
He instinctively shot out a web, swinging himself to a safe position nearby, still stammering, "You… you weren't…"
"I wasn't what?" Tony's tone was full of Versailles-esque bragging, "I bought good insurance, what's wrong with that?"
Before he finished speaking, he wasted no more time.
The Arc Reactor in his chest glowed, ready to fire. This time, the target was no longer Green Goblin in the sky, but the stunned Whiplash on the ground.
"Ivan, didn't your father teach you to hit to kill?!"
A dazzling blue light roared out. Whiplash almost instinctively swung his energy whips to block.
Boom! Boom!
The smoke and dust from the explosion instantly enveloped him.
"Little bug, get to work!" Tony shouted, "The green one is yours, this one on the ground… is mine!"
"Understood!"
Spider-Man felt his adrenaline burning wildly. With his idol fighting alongside him, how could he let him down!
He swung his body, like a red and blue cannonball, charging towards Green Goblin in the sky again, his mouth still busy: "Hey! Mr. Green! Your temporary teammate seems to have abandoned you! Is this the plastic brotherhood of you villains?"
"You're asking for death!"
Green Goblin was irritated by the sudden turn of events; he hated situations he couldn't control the most.
He piloted his glider, once again engaging in a fierce battle with Spider-Man.
But this time, the situation was completely different.
On the ground, Tony Stark was like a God descended from the heavens.
He unleashed a barrage of saturation firepower, regardless of cost, on Whiplash, who had just emerged from the smoke.
The palm repulsor beams were continuous like searchlights, occasionally supplemented by a chest repulsor blast, wildly attacking Whiplash.
A fully powered Iron Man forced Whiplash to retreat repeatedly, leaving him only to defend passively and awkwardly.
"Is that all you've got, Ivan?!"
While unleashing a furious assault, Tony also activated his verbal sparring mode, each word precisely hitting the other's sore spot.
"You spent all this time just to create this piece of junk? If your father knew how useless you were, he'd probably crawl out of his grave in anger!"
"Look at you, what can you do besides swing two whips? You can't even cause me any substantial harm!"
"I'm telling you, you don't even have the right to avenge your father!"
Ivan Vanko's breathing grew heavier and heavier.
He let out a bestial roar, charging forward recklessly through the gunfire, attempting to get close to Tony.
But it was all in vain.
Iron Man now displayed overwhelming power.
"Game over, Ivan."
Tony's voice suddenly turned cold. He abruptly stopped all long-range attacks, and the moment Ivan rushed close, he didn't dodge, but met him head-on!
A sneer flashed in Ivan's eyes. His two energy whips merged into one, striking fiercely at Tony's head!
Just then, a web shot down from the sky, precisely sticking to the end of the energy whip!
Spider-Man used the leverage in the air, deflecting the energy whip's trajectory by a hair's breadth.
It was just that hair's breadth!
Tony seized this fleeting opportunity, the armor's engines at full power, and he, like a meteor, slammed violently into Ivan Vanko's embrace!
"Taste this!"
The brilliant Arc Reactor on his chest suddenly blazed to its maximum, and a single beam cannon, thicker than any before, fired at point-blank range, without reservation!
Ivan Vanko didn't even have time to let out a scream. His Iron armor was instantly melted and pierced through, carrying his entire body flying backward into the ruins behind, where he fell silent.
Green Goblin, preparing to throw a pumpkin bomb, suddenly froze his hand movement.
He looked down at the messy ruins below, then at Iron Man hovering in the air, his chest light slowly dimming, and Spider-Man, who had landed beside him, in a defensive posture.
Two against one.
Green Goblin's neurotic laughter vanished, replaced by cold rationality.
"Tony Stark… Spider-Man…"
He whispered these two names, as if etching them into his memory.
"This party isn't over yet…"
The bat glider let out a shriek, instantly rising higher, turning around, and transforming into a green streak of light, disappearing into the edge of the night sky without looking back.
He actually just ran away like that.
"Is it… over?"
Spider-Man looked at the empty sky, still somewhat disoriented.
"What else? Wait for him to stay and treat us to a late-night snack?" Tony landed on the ground, and with a click, removed his faceplate, revealing a face with a hint of fatigue, but more so, excitement.
He looked around at the park, which looked as if Godzilla had ploughed through it, his eyes complex.
Just then, he saw three people emerge from behind a broken support pillar.
The one in the lead, dressed in a well-tailored suit, though a bit dusty, still looked distinguished.
It was William.
Behind him were two young people, Tandy and Tyrone, both interns, still looking shaken.
"William!"
Tony's eyes instantly lit up.
He strode over, pointing a finger at the gruesome hole in his chest, then at William.
"Your stuff is really good, I would have died twice without you!"
"Tony, we are committed to providing every distinguished client with the most comprehensive and timely risk protection services."
"Bullshit service!"
Tony couldn't help but curse, but his face showed no anger at all, instead, it was full of surprise.
"I felt drained, then refilled! It's more effective than me drinking ten espressos! Jarvis even detected that my cell activity increased by three percent!"
Spider-Man also came closer, his eyes under the mask blinking.
Tony put an arm around William's shoulder, then waved to Spider-Man.
"To celebrate us taking down two psychopaths, and to celebrate my expo's successful… well, successful conclusion!"
Tony forcefully salvaged his dignity.
"I've decided to host a celebration party immediately on the top floor of Stark Tower!"
His gaze swept over William, Tandy, Tyrone, and finally landed on Spider-Man.
"All of you, have to come!"
-------------------------------
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